


Beggars Can Be Choosers (and Steve Rogers is Neither)

by Z1NC



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Drama, Fantasy AU, M/M, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Pining, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Prince Tony Stark, Set in no particular era, it’s mostly:, on Tony’s part, stable boy steve, the smallest bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28472616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Z1NC/pseuds/Z1NC
Summary: For some reason, Prince Stark skips his wedding day to hide at the stables. Steve can’t figure out why, until he does. It all becomes a mess from there, if it wasn’t one already.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m desperately posting this on New Year’s. In MY time it hasn’t hit 12am yet, so I’m good. 
> 
> Um. Welcome to this mess of a fic that has no direction. It should be cute eventually, so there’s that. 
> 
> Chapter count is a guess :)

It seems that the awkward, totally unnecessary clearing of Steve’s throat is what sets Tony’s father off. This ‘father’ is the ever powerful King Stark. Said king is currently breathing quite heavily while a vein bulges from his forehead. Tony knows his amusement is not being hidden very well, and Steve is definitely going to yell at him later. All about not taking anything seriously. 

Why will he not live a little? It’s not as if he’s the one that’s about to be locked away in his room for the rest of eternity. (That is exactly what is going to happen to Tony.) 

The red on his father’s face is nearly the color of blood now, and Tony knows there is no plausible outcome where he gets out of this without punishment, even though it’s entirely not his fault. Thank you very much. 

What? Did he ask for Steve to come marching-in through the doors of the main hall and protest Tony's (second attempt at) marriage? No, of course not. He is not an imbecile. And, oh, poor Steve is not either. Just stubborn. 

Incredibly, ridiculously stubborn. 

If only he had trusted Tony’s plan. It was simple yet high-reward. Tony would get married and let his father think that he was going along with what he wanted. He would make a big deal out of it as to not be suspicious. He would complain about the copious amounts of food and be unresponsive to his new bride. She was a lovely woman, truth be told. Fiery red hair to match her fiery personality. If Tony could marry any woman, he would marry Pepper. 

Well, if he  _ had  _ to marry any woman, he would marry Pepper. He is severely lacking any attraction  _ to  _ women, however. And it’s not like he’s forbidden to lay in a man’s bed, but . . . his parents expect a child. What a bother. Tony can’t stand the idea. He doesn’t hate children, he just can’t see himself with a child right now, or possibly ever. 

That fact is why he made this plan in the first place and why he has Steve to ruin it. 

They would leave that night. Tony’s lovely ‘bride’ Pepper knew of this plan too, and it surprised Tony that Steve still could not put trust in it. What else would Tony do? Stay in bed with his bride producing heirs all night? The thought was repulsive enough for him to make a sour face. There was no chance. 

Tony would run away with Steve and they would live as two misfits— an unwilling prince and a skinny farmer boy. They were perfect for each other in each and every way. Tony would write poetry for Steve if his abilities were not that of a wet cloth. He would sing all of the ballads in the world if his voice was not akin to the croak of a particularly slimy toad. 

Despite all of this— the love that Tony has for this man— Steve had done the exact opposite of what Tony was hoping. Their happily ever after is now farther away than ever. Fantastic. 

Of course, there has to be a beginning and end to a story, and this has got to be the climax. 

(How original.) 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wdym horses don’t work like this? This is exactly how horses are . . . Enjoy part 2 :)

“What a delight he is,” Bucky says rather derisively, in Steve’s opinion. Not that he disagrees. In fact, Steve had expected speaking to the king to be an all-around fascinating experience. Instead he had been presented with a man that appeared to want to be anywhere but on his throne speaking to two peasants. And Steve and Bucky looked the part of peasants. Their clothes were old and worn, their skin always accompanied by a layer of dirt. 

At least he and Bucky now have a paying job. They’re jobs in the stables, granted, but beggars could not be choosers. 

“We work at the same time,” Steve supplies, trying to encourage a better mood from Bucky. They gave themselves a tour of the stables, making sure they knew which horses belonged to who by the end of the day. There were more steeds than what Steve thought was necessary. Nevertheless, all of them were incredible, elegant creatures, and Steve didn’t have anything concrete to complain about. 

They started the real work the next day, shoveling feces and filling the water trough over and over. The horses ate plenty of food, too. Steve had picked-up the habit of staring at all of it and remembering it most likely costs more than his existence. 

It has been ten days since they began working at the stables and seven days since the incident with Prince Stark. If Steve had a choice, he’d never talk about it again, but as of now, Prince Stark chooses to ignore Steve’s wishes. It’s a good thing that Steve has been avoiding the prince. 

_ “Shh,  _ Bonney,” Steve soothes. Bonney has got to be one of the sweetest horses at the stable. She has never tried to kick Steve or Bucky in the head and seems to push her mane into Steve’s hand when he pets her. He loves her coat as well, smooth black with a splotch of white on her back. 

Not that Steve has ever or will ever get to ride her, but he understands that her gait’s very elegant. At least, he thinks he does. He has only heard that term when listening-in on conversations. He is not an expert on the lovely stallions, mares, and foals in the stables. He just knows how to clean up after them. It’s incredible how much information on a horse you can get from its bathroom behavior. Not that Steve dwells on that. He really doesn’t— the fact that he’s spent so much time washing his clothes this week is enough dwelling. 

Bonney neighs loudly, kicking her front legs up. Steve smiles, fond and exasperated, and indulges her. He pets her mane and grabs an apple from the barrel sitting outside and just resists groaning aloud when he realizes he is going to have to give every other horse one too. Steve Rogers plays fair. 

After he is done with that nonsense, Steve wipes his hands on his dirty, torn pants and gets back to work. Today is a hot day, truth be told, and he would rather get the difficult parts done so he and Bucky can go home and pretend their bodies aren’t overworked.

He is almost positive that there is dirt all over his face by the time Bucky slams his elbow into his back, drawing his attention. Steve resists crying out in pain and suddenly realizes why that move had been so urgent. Prince Stark is standing not a body’s length ahead of them, and he is staring right at them. 

Oh no. Steve and Bucky alike know exactly what he is here to ask for. 

Before any further actions, though, Bucky and Steve bow. It would be impolite if they did not. 

“You have been banned from riding until further notice, your highness,” Steve speaks slowly, calmly. He’d rather not repeat this for the thousandth time, but it has already become obvious to him that this man is stubborn. Almost unbelievably so.

There is a time and place that Steve  _ can  _ admire stubbornness, but that time and place is not now. He is dirty and exhausted. There is no need for the prince to parade around and ask for things that are quite literally forbidden from him. 

“I am aware,” Prince Stark drawls, “and I am not agreeable to these terms. I was hoping we could compromise.” Evidently, he is not backing down. Steve wants to pull his hair out because all the prince sees this as is a challenge that he is not going to let go. 

“That is not under our jurisdiction. You should confront the king,” Bucky states plainly, already turning around to continue pushing a wheelbarrow full of fresh hay. The prince is not happy with this move. Steve does not care so he follows suit. 

An irritated hum comes from the prince. “I need to ride,” he states. Steve lets out an exasperated sigh. He turns around.

“I am sorry, your highness, but as stated, we cannot allow you to.” 

It’s almost a shock when Prince Stark leaves right after that. Steve had expected more of a fight. Anticipated it, even. He goes back to work, prettying-up the horses and getting them ready for riding. He spends slightly more time cleaning absolutely nothing from King Stark’s stallion, it being clean from the past days already. How long had it been since the king had ridden?

He goes around to all of the horses, sparing nice words for each and every one of them. The foals, who are young and full of energy, enjoy all of the attention. 

Steve’s shoulders slump when he sees Prince Stark combing through the hair of Bonney, a saddle already set on her back. Despite the thinly veiled warnings from Steve and Bucky, he had gone behind their backs. He must have thought he would get away with it if he did not ride on a male horse. 

Steve is undeniably furious with the prince.

He does not bow. 

“Your highness, you mustn’t be here. You are unallowed.”

“Of course,” Prince Stark agrees, disregarding Steve’s presence in the process. He hops on Bonney’s back and attempts to have her prance out of the stable. Steve stands firmly in place. Bonney snorts and pushes her nose into Steve’s head, effectively portraying to the prince that she would not dare move unless Steve was out of the way. 

“Pardon me,” Prince Stark says, urging. Steve does not move. 

The prince sighs dramatically and it makes Steve want to punch his royal face. Of course, that would be beyond rude. Instead, he politely guides Bonney back to where she was. 

From the corner of his eye, he can see Bucky watching the two of them. He wants to ask for help but finds that it’s more gratifying to handle the prince himself. It might look strange for a skinny little man to encourage his decidedly not skinny little friend to help him fight. It could be taken literal and Steve really has no intent to see Bucky pummel Prince Stark

In reality, he’d much rather do that himself. However, Prince Stark has not yet done anything that truly deserves a fight. He must be a mostly good man besides his inability to listen to anyone who may have authority over him. Or just anyone besides himself. 

“Come on,” the prince groans. “I will only be away for a bit.”

“King Stark has instructed that we not allow you to ride. We are merely listening to his orders.”

“What about  _ my  _ orders? I order you to let me ride.” 

Steve sighs. The prince knows that it does not work like that. 

“Please go back to the castle.” 

The frustrated tilt to the man’s lips ceases to exist when he hops off of Bonney. Steve wonders if he will try to start a physical fight. Steve truly hopes he does not, because he would fight Prince Stark, but he would not win. 

They stare at each other for longer than Steve really has time for. 

“Excuse me,” Steve says, not moving his gaze, “I need to get back to work.” He walks away and turns his head to look back. 

Tony does not take Steve’s word as an end. He says, “You are not allowed to spend any more time than necessary with the horses. You are lucky I do not plan on telling my father.” 

“Of course,” Steve speaks softly, mirroring Prince Stark’s words from before. His smile is wide and unhappy. 

The prince raises his hands in the air, palms facing Steve, and backs away from Bonney. He gives her a withering look, as if she will pity him. Steve finds hilarity in this and really smiles as he turns to his own wheelbarrow. Prince Stark’s retreating footsteps have almost gone so quiet that Steve cannot hear them when he hears the prince begin mumbling to himself. 

“It’s not my fault I am kept in this castle like a waiting princess. Why is it unacceptable to ride around the kingdom in my night clothes, anyway?” 

Steve ignores that and begins pushing the wheelbarrow around and distributing hay. Each horse does not pay much mind to Steve because they appreciate the extra comfort. And food. Steve gets fed less than a royal family’s horses. 

“Fascinating,” Bucky says, startling Steve from his thoughts. 

“What?” He questions. 

Bucky shakes his head, dismissing Steve. 

They do not speak again until the end of the day, when Steve is nearly done grooming all of the horses. One particular foal had enjoyed a great pile of dirt, most likely the gardeners’ doings. The little one had become a mess and Steve begrudgingly cleaned her up. 

Bucky is sat at his side, thumbing through today’s pay. 

“He comes to bother you every day,” Bucky states.

Steve pauses, then puts together that Bucky is referring to Prince Stark. He cannot say that he disagrees with that statement. 

“Yes, he bothers us every day. It amazes me how he escapes punishment from the king.” Steve pets the horse’s mane, satisfied now that it’s clean and smooth. He wishes the dirt had not been so wet. It’s so difficult to clean out. 

“No,” Bucky says. “Not  _ ‘us’. _ He comes for you.”

For a long moment, Steve simply stares at his friend. The prince  _ does  _ come for both of them though, does he not? Ever since Prince Stark angered his father, he had been arriving in the middle of the day everyday. Steve knows there is more to the story than Prince Stark riding in unsuitable clothing. It must be quite a large deal. Why else always interrupt their work?

Or just Steve’s work. 

He comes to the conclusion that what Bucky says is truthful. Prince Stark has only been coming to the stables to infuriate Steve. Why?

And, worst of all; why is it working? Why can Steve not get Prince Stark away from his thoughts? Infuriating indeed. 

The following day, when Prince Stark disturbs Steve and Bucky, Steve decides he is going to confront the prince. This is entirely intolerable behavior. That is all. 

Prince Stark stands tall and proud, petting Bonney’s mane just as he had yesterday. He has not seen Steve, but it is very obvious that he’s waiting. His eyes dance around the stables, posture relaxed but face tight. He is definitely hiding something. However, Steve has no valid reason to pry. 

“Sir,” he says. He is past the point of being any friendlier than that. Or maybe the two of them are friendlier than a stable boy and prince usually are. The prince runs a hand through his hair, trying to appear innocent even as he’s stowing away equipment. Steve crosses his arms and stares, unimpressed. 

“Steve,” the prince speaks, blinking slowly, smiling politely. 

“I need not remind you of your restrictions—”

“With riding. Yes, yes. I beg of you; forget about rules for  _ one  _ day.” 

Steve rubs his fingertips together, barely resisting baring his teeth in a snarl. Why is it so easy for Prince Stark to get under his skin? 

“No.” 

The prince frowns. “I am going.” 

Why  _ now?  _ Does he never stop trying? 

“I am afraid that you can’t,” Steve exaggerates, pausing for a second before continuing. “Your highness.” 

The prince does not fight back with words as he always has. Instead, he throws a satchel onto the ground, crouches down, and pulls out a lovely golden ring, fit for a king. Prince Stark does not look happy in the slightest as he stares at the ring. He takes out another, this time with a large shiny jewel on the top. Steve has never been rich enough to know the look of any jewels. It may be a diamond, a sapphire, or an emerald. Steve does not know the difference. 

“My wedding is tomorrow.” 

_ Wedding?  _ Steve thinks.  _ What wedding?  _ His words come out slow and deliberate, despite there not being much to say. “Congratulations, Prince Stark. What shall I send the bride?” 

Prince Stark’s eyebrows draw in and a stormy expression overtakes his face. “You do not even bother to ask her name?” 

“I do believe you would have told me if you had wanted me to know, your highness.” 

“You’re right,” Prince Stark whispers, his voice soft and broken. Steve does not like seeing this unusual expression on the prince’s face. He has never looked so distraught. Steve takes a chance and hopes that what he says is not considered rude. 

“You do not want to marry.”

“No,” Prince Stark agrees. He doesn't love his bride, then. Steve could not imagine a world where the one he married was not the one he wanted to grow old with. 

Steve leaves the prince be. He does not give the prince permission to ride Bonney, but when Steve comes back to see her stable empty, he does not rush to tell the king. Prince Stark is feeling trapped. The least Steve can do is allow him a night of freedom. 

Since Steve and Bucky still sleep in the same room together, Steve’s tossing and turning that night is beyond obvious. He knows that Bucky can tell he is thinking. Steve is thankful that, even in the morning, Bucky still does not ask Steve what he’s thinking. At this point, Steve still isn’t completely sure. 


End file.
